TEHRAN — Speaking on the anniversary of the 76th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations on Wednesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Hassan Sheikholeslami said the UN should counter United States’ extraterritorial moves in violations of the UN Charter.

“The principle of power balance and coordination among members was established to find solutions to international problems in economic, social and cultural spheres, principles that are agreed upon by all countries and are all necessary for the advancement of humanity,” Sheikholeslami said.
 
The deputy foreign minister continued by saying that UN Day is an appropriate framework to remind the important role of the United Nations in supporting the efforts of countries in achieving the goals and principles of the UN Charter.

Sheikholeslami said that the United Nations can and should provide the necessary ground for countries to develop friendly relations based on equal rights and joint efforts to solve the problems of countries for equal rights in social, cultural and economic fields.

In order to achieve this, he stressed, it is necessary for all members to promote multilateralism and to refrain from unilateralism, because unilateralism destroys the relations between countries and ignores the goal of the United Nations.

“The United Nations can play a more effective role in countering the actions of unilateral oppressors and their destructive effects,” Sheikholeslami told the ceremony hosted by the Foreign Ministry’s Institute for Political and International Studies. 

The diplomat added that the reason for formation of the United Nations was based on multilateralism and the establishment of this organization created the hope that the world would be governed by law and multilateralism, but unfortunately 76 years later, the world is witnessing the opposite.

“One of the tasks of this organization is to deal with unilateral policies and U.S. extraterritorial laws that violate the provisions of the UN Charter,” he stated. 

The deputy foreign minister added that multilateralism is not a choice, but an obligation and necessity to achieve a solution to human challenges and crises, and Iran believes in multilateralism, partnership and cooperation with all members of the international community and the United Nations.

Since the 1979 revolution in Iran, the United States has banned the sale of airplanes and spare parts to Iran which has caused plane crashes at the cost of human lives. It its newest move against Iran, the United States under Donald Trump quit the 2015 nuclear deal in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and slapped the harshest sanctions in history against Iran. It even refused to relax sanctions despite the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, has denounced sanctions as inhumane, immoral and illegal, saying their far-reaching, devastating and long-term consequences are as brutal and vicious as terrorism, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He has also said, “Whatever the Americans are saying about their sanctions not affecting humanitarian items, it’s just a lie... It’s basically medical terrorism.” 

Sheikholeslami added, “Unilateral sanctions by U.S. dictators are undoubtedly contrary to international law and against multilateralism and contrary to the high goals of the United Nations.” 

The diplomat also noted that Iran is affected by economic terrorism.

“Our request to the United Nations is to stand with one voice against unilateralism and terrorism and the United States against the Iranian people and condemn it,” he concluded.